Across Mountains and Seas, Building a Shared Future
Tang Meng sheng
Professor of Peking University, China. Director of the Center for Pakistan Studies, Peking University Seventy-five years of sharing weal and woe, seventy-five years of friendship as strong as steel.
In 2026, as China and Pakistan mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the peoples of both countries are immersed in the joy of friendship and cooperation. Since the two countries formally established diplomatic ties on May 21, 1951, this friendship, spanning the Himalayas and crossing the Arabian Sea, has remained rock-solid and ever-renewed amid changes in the international landscape. Together, we have traversed an extraordinary journey of three-quarters of a century, witnessing the construction of the Karakoram Highway and the transformation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor from vision to reality; we have seen prompt action in disaster relief operations time and again, and firm mutual support in international affairs. Described as a relationship “higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, sweeter than honey, and stronger than steel”, this bilateral bond has gone far beyond ordinary state-to-state relations and stands as a model of enduring friendship, stable cooperation and mutual benefit between countries with different civilizations and social systems.
Cultural exchanges and media cooperation nourish the hearts of the Chinese and Pakistani peoples like gentle rain. Art troupes of the two countries visit each other frequently. Chinese acrobatics, songs and dances, and operas are staged in Pakistani theaters and communities, while Pakistani music, dance and handicrafts are presented at Chinese art festivals and exhibitions. These vibrant art forms transcend language barriers, intuitively showing the unique charm and profound heritage of each other’s cultures, and enhancing closeness among people through the enjoyment of beauty.
In cultural heritage protection, cooperation between the two countries has also yielded fruitful results. Experts from both sides have jointly participated in the investigation, research and restoration of historical sites, sharing technologies and experience in heritage protection and utilization. Such cherishing and protection of common human cultural heritage is not only respect for history, but also commitment to the future, demonstrating the responsibility of China and Pakistan as ancient civilizations to jointly promote the inheritance and innovation of civilizations.
Media cooperation is crucial to fostering an objective and friendly public opinion environment. Mainstream media of the two countries have established stable exchange mechanisms, striving to present a comprehensive, true and three-dimensional image of the friendly neighbor to their own audiences through joint interviews, co-productions, program exchanges and personnel visits. Such fact-based reporting and communication have effectively offset prejudice and misunderstanding, building a positive and healthy public opinion foundation for the development of bilateral relations.
Marching Hand in Hand Toward the Future: Writing a New Chapter in the China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future
Standing at a new historical starting point of the 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations, friendship and cooperation between the two countries have reached an unprecedented height. Reviewing the past, China and Pakistan have shared weal and woe and forged an unbreakable all-weather friendship; looking ahead, the profound evolution of the global landscape and the development blueprints of both countries require the two sides to join hands with greater wisdom and courage to draw a new blueprint for the China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
To build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future requires the two countries to continue taking political mutual trust as the fundamental guarantee. We firmly believe that no matter how the international landscape changes, firm mutual support between China and Pakistan on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns will always be the cornerstone for the steady growth of bilateral relations. We will continue to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication to ensure that bilateral relations always move in the right direction. On core issues concerning sovereignty, security and development, we will continue to stand together without reservation, jointly resist external risks and challenges, and safeguard a just development environment and international space for both countries.
This requires us to advance practical cooperation to higher quality, wider areas and deeper levels. As a flagship project of high-quality Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC has entered a new stage of quality improvement and upgrading. We will not only consolidate achievements in traditional fields such as energy and transportation, but also vigorously expand cooperation in emerging frontier fields including digital economy, green development, artificial intelligence and biotechnology. We will promote the transformation of industrial cooperation from infrastructure construction to in-depth integration of industrial and supply chains, helping Pakistan further enhance its industrialization and improve endogenous dynamics of its economy. Meanwhile, we will ensure that the fruits of cooperation benefit the two peoples more equitably, launching more “small but beautiful” projects in agriculture, medical care, education, poverty alleviation and other livelihood areas to effectively improve people’s well-being and consolidate the social foundation of friendship.
Facing global challenges such as climate change, public health crises and economic recovery, China and Pakistan, as responsible major developing countries, should strengthen coordination and cooperation on multilateral fora. We will jointly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, practice true multilateralism, and contribute to improving global governance and promoting common development. Through close cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral frameworks, we will jointly maintain regional peace and stability, creating a safer and more favorable environment for the development of the two countries and the region.
We firmly believe that China-Pakistan friendship, having been forged for seventy-five years, possesses a profound foundation and strong vitality, which is sufficient to enable the two countries to jointly overcome all tests and challenges on their path forward. As long as we uphold the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and unite as one, we will surely elevate the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership to a new level, jointly create a better future for the two peoples, and make new and greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations is both a milestone and a new starting point. Standing at the crossroads of history, we firmly believe that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries and through the joint efforts of the two peoples, the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership will embrace an even broader and brighter future.
Let us continue to stand side by side, carry forward the brotherly friendship that is “higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, sweeter than honey, and stronger than steel”, hold high the banner of forgingan even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and create a better life not only for the Chinese and Pakistani peoples, but also inject more stability, certainty and positive energy into this challenging world.
Long live China-Pakistan friendship!
